


Up to No Good

by charlietheepic7



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Thieves, Alternate Universe - Villains, Betrayal, F/M, Ladybug Bridgette (Miraculous Ladybug), Mouse Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Multimouse, Partners in Crime, Revenge, Snake Luka Couffaine | Viperion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:34:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28303146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlietheepic7/pseuds/charlietheepic7
Summary: A snake catches a snack on a rooftop.
Relationships: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 7
Kudos: 120





	Up to No Good

“Good evening, little mouse.”

The Multimouse squeaked and bolted, though she was far too slow for the viper-quick hand that snapped her up. The little mouse struggled, sending out a mental distress signal to her sisters that King Cobra was _here_ and _he had her_ and _help, please!!_ The other Multimice in the museum below sent out a confirmation and began returning to the roof, where she was. “Let me go!” Multimouse snapped, biting the hand that held her.

King Cobra winced and withdrew his hand to his chest, taking her along for the ride. His hand squeezed dangerously around her. “None of that, now. I would sssuggest behaving; I don’t want to end up hurting my favorite sssnack,” he hissed, forked tongue flickering out between his lips as he spoke.

Multimouse flushed at the term of endearment, but didn’t bite him again; the ground was far off and her sisters were coming. She just needed to keep him distracted. She scowled up at him. “What do you want this time?”

He smiled, fangs glinting in the moonlight. “Can’t a sssnake ssspend time with his favorite mouse?”

“Absolutely not; I know what snakes do with mice.”

While not as active as Hawkmoth, King Cobra was still a dangerous villain. Appearing only a few months after Ladybug and Chat Noir, the snake holder started attacking museums, art galleries, jewelry stores—anywhere and everywhere, all over Paris. He always managed to escape from Ladybug and Chat Noir when they arrived on-scene; Multimouse had fought him a few times when they ended up in the same place at the same time, trading quips and whips all the same, but his tricks were slippery and he got away time and time again. Multimouse suspected that Cobra had somehow managed to unlock the full extent of his Miraculous, meaning he wasn’t on a timer despite not being an adult.

Well, she _hoped_ he wasn’t an adult—What was she thinking!?

Cobra smirked down at her. His hood covered a lot, shadowing most of his face, but she could still see his mouth and glowing blue eyes. She wanted to punch him in his smug face. “Oh, I can think of sssome things I’d like to do with you… but that’s not why I sssought you out tonight.”

“Then what?” The Multimouse made a show of struggling as her sister’s began to surround them, abandoning their task in favor of saving her. She wouldn’t be able to reform if a single mouse was missing.

He was imposing against the night. “Would you like to know why I’m a villain, little mouse?”

Multimouse was floored. Never had she expected their conversation to go in this direction. “…Yes,” she replied. It could be a trap, but… she wanted to know.

“I’ve been looking for a Miraculous. A ssspecific one, that’s currently here in Paris, but out of the hands of Ladybug and Chat Noir’s pesky guardian. I… need this Miraculous, Multimouse.” There was a look of desperation in King Cobra’s eyes, one she had never seen before on the villain, not once in their multiple confrontations. “I’m going to have it. And I need your help for that.”

“You think I’ll help you!?” She scoffed. “Don’t be a fool. In case you forgot, I’m a hero—”

“I have to admit, you had me fooled for a while,” he said, cutting her off. “You’re a good actress. I originally believed you when you said Ladybug wanted to keep you out of the ssspotlight. But… after a few weeks, it became clear that you were never ssseen around Paris’s favorite heroes. And after once I overheard them complaining about having to find the ssstolen Rat Miraculous…” The snake leered at her. “Oh, my sssweet little sssnack. You’re no more of a hero than I am.”

The Multimouse—Marinette—felt her face heat with the indignation and she bared her teeth into a snarl. So what if she stole the Rat Miraculous!? Bridgette had stolen from her first!

She had found out a few months ago. Bridgette, Marinette’s cousin and granddaughter of her Great Uncle Wang, was staying with them for the year, applying to Parisian universities. Marinette had followed her one day after school, the reason why having been wiped from her memory due to the following, horrifying events. She had discovered Bridgette being confronted by a turtle man of all things—later, she learned he was the guardian of the Miraculous—and overheard the truth: that Marinette was originally supposed to become Ladybug, but Bridgette had stolen the miracle box from her room before she could find it.

Marinette had frozen in horror, forced to listen to Bridgette justifying herself—that box had looked too fancy to be something Marinette should have, and she hadn’t expected the box to contain magic jewelry, and what would be the harm if she took the earrings out for a joyride? But then Stoneheart happened and by that point everyone knew she was Ladybug and changing would have confused the public, and really, what was he thinking, making Marinette a superhero? She was such an anxious thing, and clumsy, and spazzy, and, and—

And Marinette had been forced to listen to Bridgette completely disregard her and her feelings, insult her outright that hurt in a way that Chloe never managed. Because Bridgette was family. Her parents had taken her into their home, Marinette had welcomed her as a sister, and _this was the thanks they got—_

The guardian had refused to take the Ladybug Miraculous back from Bridgette. Despite how she acquired it, he had said, she had still earned it and she was a fantastic Ladybug. That had burned. That had hurt. But clearly, the guardian didn’t actually care about the morals of the person wielding the Miraculous so long as it got him the butterfly back.

Maybe Marinette got a bit drastic. Maybe Marinette figured out that if you had a control over yourself and cold, hard determination, akumas couldn’t possess you. Maybe Marinette had figured out that Chat Noir was closer to her age than Bridgette’s, and that Bridgette had been flirting with a younger guy all along.

A lot of things could have happened, but this was fate: One day, when Bridgette had brought home a few of the Miraculous—guardian training, the bug-fairy thing had called it when Marinette had eavesdropped through a hole she made in their adjoining wall—Marinette had stolen two right as they left for school. Only two, despite Bridgette having more; she had figured out that Bridgette abused her Miraculous to get to her high school on time, and with only two missing, Bridgette would assume she lost them. To further the truth, Marinette had tossed one, the Bee, outside the Bourgeois hotel, where Chloe was kind enough to find it and show off.

That left Marinette with the Rat Miraculous. Perfect for her, she could practically hear Bridgette say: timid Marinette, quiet Marinette, sneaky Marinette, unworthy-of-being-a-hero Marinette. But she swallowed her pride and used it anyway, going out every night to train or find King Cobra or fight an akuma or _something_ , because…

Because she wanted to be a hero.

But heroes don’t steal Miraculous.

Multimouse scowled up King Cobra, her teeth flashing ferally in the cold light. “And you think that means I’m going to help you? Don’t be stupid.”

“Well, I had hoped.” He shrugged, like her answer meant nothing. “But if you need a little convincing, then ssso be it. Anything you want, I’ll do my best to make it happen. Power? Riches? There’s a lot available with my Miraculous. What do you want?”

Ladybug, Bridgette, humiliated and disgraced, with no one in Paris able to consider her a hero ever again. Instead, Multimouse asked, “What are you getting out of this? I can’t be your only choice.”

“True, but the other one isn’t as pretty as you, little mouse.” Cobra sat on the roof, crossing his legs like a little kid. “Hawkmoth has reached out for me to become an ally. Sssome kind of ‘I help you, you help me’ sssituation that he thinks I’ll fall for. But people who mind control ssseem like control freaks; he’ll betray me the first time I do sssomething he doesn’t like.” He smiled at her. “You, however… you wouldn’t betray me, would you? Even though all your little mice have sssurrounded us, you’re not going to attack until our conversation is finished. You’re just that type of girl.”

No. If they allied, she would never betray him after being so coldly betrayed herself, still… “You have no idea what type of girl I am. And there’s still nothing in it for me. You offer me things I don’t need, and can’t get what I want.”

“Are you sssure I don’t know what kind of girl you are?” He brought her close to his face, almost nuzzling her into his cheek, and whispered, his warm breath washing over her tiny body. “ _Ma-Ma-Marinette._ ”

Instantly, Mulitmouse was lax in his grip, head reeling. He knew? And he was… Luka? Her friend? Her confidant? Her… her… hers?

He cupped her close. “I always knew,” he confessed, his voice soft in a way that didn’t match King Cobra’s face. “I knew it from the moment I heard your heart; nothing could disguise that sssong, not even the pain you’ve been in these last few months. My little sssnack, my precious melody… Now do you sssee why I want you over Hawkmoth? I don’t know why you’ve done this… I won’t pressure you to tell me… but you’re sssomeone I’ll always trust. Ssso please? I’ll explain everything, but…”

Her mice exited the shadows, merging together as one as they got closer to him. The Multimouse in his hand glowed and merged too, becoming Marinette’s hand that Luka held close to her face. Fully reformed, her Miraculous beeped, five minutes remaining. “Luka…” she whispered, searching his face.

“Little mouse.” He nuzzled her hand, his eyes dark with affection and desperation.

“I want to destroy Ladybug,” she blurred out, covering her mouth as if it would rectify her mistake. Luka looked at her, shocked. She continued, “I want people to hate her. I want her vilified as much as Hawkmoth is. I want Paris to demand she return her Miraculous.” A tear escaped at the confession. “I want my revenge. Are… are you willing to help me? I know it’s a lot to ask for, but—”

A teal hand brushed her tear away. “I will. Oh, Marinette…” He drew her into a hug. She buried her head in his shoulder. “Of course, I’ll help. I’ll always be willing to help you, no matter how villainous the action may be.”

“And I’ll help you.” She didn’t care why he wanted another Miraculous, what it was or what it was for. She’d steal a thousand Miraculous so long as it kept him on her side. Before this, she’d never realized how alone she’d felt; even Mullo, who understood and empathized with her pain, was less a confidant and more a captive. But Luka… “I’m on your side, Luka. I promise.”

…he was a confidant and more. Together, they could do great things. Villainous, but great.

And she’d do anything to keep him on her side.


End file.
